Exponential Conference
I just got back from the Exponential Conference in Orlando. In addition to some very thought-provoking sessions, it was great to connect with several friends. The team from Community Christian Church did a fantastic job with the conference -- Dave Ferguson was conference president and the CCC team was there hustling on stage and behind the scenes to make it a great week.
One of the best parts of the conference was seeing some friends and clients from “back home” such as Tim Harlow, Bill Brown and several others from Parkview Christian; Jerry McQuay of Christian Life Center, Jeff Robinson of Lincolnway Christian Church, Jul Medenblik of New Life Church, Lance Hurley of CDEA, Brad Leeper from Generis and others. And as always, it’s great to hang out with our good friend, Bill Couchenour of Cogun, our partner in Cornerstone Knowledge Network.
Having just read “The Shaping of Things to Come” (see post below), I was primed to hear what Alan Hirsch had to say. Among my many notes:
- The root word of mission is “sent”
- The Contemporary Church Growth Model appeals to at most 40% of the U.S. population (in Australia, where Alan’s from, it’s more like 15%) – you must become missional if you want to reach the other 60% i.e. act like a missionary would when taking the gospel to a foreign culture. America is becoming a foreign culture' we can't rely on the Judeo-Christian ethic as universally understood or embraced e.g. Europe is almost entirely post-Christian
- “Hell is the only place you can be safe from the disturbances of love” – C.S. Lewis. Risking enough to truly love is a biblical imperative
- China went from 2 million to over 120 million Christians in 60 years without church buildings!
- The primary confession of the church should be “Jesus is my Lord and I cling to Him”. Everything the church does must be calibrated back to Jesus.
- Consumerism is the alternate religion of our society. It’s too easy for churches to play into this.
Andy Stanley had some great stuff on vision. It had been awhile since I read his “Visioneering” so it was a good refresher:
- State it Simply (memorable is portable)
- Cast it Convincingly (Define the Problem, Offer a Solution, Explain Why and Why Now)
- Repeat it Regularly
- Celebrate it Systematically
- Embrace it Personally and Publicly
One more comment about the CCC team – the “co-emcee” was Eric Bramlett, their arts director. Eric is one funny and creative dude. Speaking of that, you might enjoy the “Dude” series they played at the conference below:
Brad Eisenmann
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